Controversy erupted on the eve of the Calabrian election over a social media post by the general in which, to attack the president of the Calabria Region and deputy national secretary of Forza Italia, Roberto Occhiuto, he published a photo of the governor's partner, undersecretary Matilde Siracusano, with a plunging neckline. A veritable storm erupted over the general. The entire center-right rose up against the leader of Futuro Nazionale—who went from being an ally during the League days to an adversary—who defended himself by blaming others for retouching the photo, which he claimed was taken from a Calabrian website.

The person directly involved, who is already considering suing, spoke to Corriere.it about "a perverse and squalid choice," while Occhiuto emphasized that "anyone who needs to retouch a woman's body with software to get involved in politics has already lost, before they even begin." Forza Italia secretary Tajani branded it a "vulgar and unacceptable" gesture, which "demonstrates the lack of political substance on the part of those who devised it." But Forza Italia wasn't the only one to stand by their MP. From the League to Brothers of Italy to Us Moderati, there was a barrage of vitriolic language against the former paratrooper turned politician.

And for once, the center-right and center-left have found themselves in agreement, as even the broader political arena has launched attacks against Vannacci. The leader of Futuro Nazionale (National Future) responded bluntly, "The accusations are unsubstantiated," urging "you to look further and direct the accusations, if necessary, to the right people. Keep on dealing with these cleavages..." Against this backdrop, voting will take place today and Monday for the seat vacated by Forza Italia regional secretary Francesco Cannizzaro after his election as mayor of Reggio Calabria. This election has drawn attention in Italian politics following Vannacci's move to "steal" the regional group leader Domenico Giannetta from Forza Italia, running him as a candidate for Futuro Nazionale. This move allows the general to gauge his strengths on the ground—following favorable polls—and to demonstrate to the center-right that without his troops, next year's elections will be a dead giveaway. However, the FnV leader's entry into the race doesn't worry Tajani.

(Unioneonline)

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